Tuesday, January 27, 2015

I've always thought that silly songs are great mnemonic devices in the human sciences. I've seen them work from kindergarten (remember the ABC song?) and up through medical school (even in pharmacology).

If you find them "catchy" then you'll find yourself repeating them in your head. Or maybe even out loud. And that's the kind of thing that helps your brain form long-term memories!

One I recently ran across is in a music video original produced to help 6th-graders learn about the heart. But it may help you as you begin your study of the heart in A&P!

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Blood typing is used frequently in clinical medicine because the use of blood transfusions is common, and therefore so is blood banking and related activities.

Knowing one's own blood type is important for future medical procedures—perhaps even a life-threatening emergency.

Concepts of blood typing carry over into other types of tissue typing—a concept useful in transplant medicine.

Blood typing is a great introduction to basic concepts of immunology (something you'll be coming to soon in your A&P course) like antigens, antibodies, agglutination reactions, self vs. nonself, and more.

It's just one of those things you have to learn in A&P. Trust us, we know this will be useful to you later on—even if you don't think so now.

Here's a great video that lays out the essential concepts very briefly—in an easy-to-understand way. Sometimes, an explanation that's a bit different than that in your textbook or class discussion helps a new concept "click" in your brain.

One brief note: the video states that antigens are proteins. That's often true. But in blood typing, the A and B antigens are actually sugars. The Rh antigens are proteins. Not a big deal—they were trying to keep it simple for you.

Here's a copy of the chart of ABO blood types used in the video. You may want to copy-and-paste it into your class notes to supplement your learning resources.

About Me

I've worked as an anatomy & physiology professor for several decades, having taught at high school, community college, and university levels. I write A&P textbooks and manuals. I am a President Emeritus of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and a founder of HAPS Institute, a continuing education program for A&P professors. I have several blogs, websites, & a podcast related to teaching and learning. And in my youth I was a wild animal trainer.